ASUS ZenFone 3 Quick Unboxing, First Impressions, AnTuTu Benchmark

ASUS finally embraces 2016 and released a new series of beautiful and modern smartphone. We unbox and take a quick look at the ZenFone 3, the proud successor of last year’s uber successful ZenFone 2.

The Specs

Our review unit is the ASUS ZenFone 3 ‏ZE552KL. It’s the 5.5-inch variant with 4GB/64GB configuration. Before we begin with the unboxing, lets take a quick look at the it’s key specifications.

The ASUS ZenFone 3 sports a 5.5-inch full HD Super IPS+ display protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood, you have a 2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor, 4GB of RAM and a generous 64GB storage. The main camera uses a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor with the ASUS branded TriTech Autofocus System (a combination of the 2nd get laser AF, PDAF, and Continuous AF), while the front camera packs an 8MP sensor.

Powering the ZenFone 3 is ASUS’ latest ZenUI 3.0 running on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The rest of the specs include a fingerprint sensor, a USB Type-C port, and a 3,000mAh battery.

Unboxing the ASUS ZenFone 3

Here’s a short unboxing video of the ASUS ZenFone 3. Check out the slick new box!

ASUS has gone and made sure to improve the already impressive image of its ZenFone series. The latest ZenFone 3 came in a beautiful black box with gold lettering emblazoned in front. The way the phone is presented definitely is a step up from last year’s entrant.

Inside, you’ll be greeted by the equally impressive ZenFone 3 in Shimmer Gold. The smartphone comes with the usual list of accessories – a fast charger, a USB Type-C cable, a SIM Ejector Tool, documentation and a set of earbuds.

First Impression: Impressive

To be honest, I was not impressed with the Sapphire Black version of the ZenFone 3. A couple of blogger friends had the first review units in that color and I couldn’t resist taking a quick look. Sure the new glass-metal-glass build was nice and refreshing, but the color doesn’t really give it justice.

Here’s the Sapphire Black ZenFone 3 from Zenvolution PH

The Shimmer Gold version, on the other hand, is quite a different animal. I was surprised at how good it looked and how it gave the the phone a very premium finish. And this is coming from someone who usually prefers his devices in black.

The device itself looks stunning. I like the ZenFone 3’s new design. It has a clean profile and a flat, slim body. The curved edges makes its features soft and appealing.

Aside from its looks, other things I immediately noticed is the slight camera bump at the back. Its only a few millimeters high but it protrudes just enough that it touches the surface its on. Good thing the camera lens is protected by highly resistant sapphire glass.

Another thing I noticed is that while the glass-metal-glass build is great, it made the phone slippery and prone to fingerprints.

AnTuTu Benchmark

The ASUS ZenFone 3 is powered by a 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and 4GB of RAM. I ran AnTuTu Benchmark app to give you an idea how well it performs. The phone managed to get 62,419 points.

Now, I don’t want to put too much into what the score means. Often times benchmark performance differs from real world usage tests.

Remarks

That’s it for our unboxing and first impressions of the ASUS ZenFone 3. And so far, I like what I saw. The phone has a refreshingly modern and premium design. The build quality is impressive and the Shimmer Gold color is beautiful. But this isn’t final, mind you, because a full review is in the works to see how it holds up in real-world use. Stay tuned and see you then.